Armor’s experienced management team consists of:

Mitchell Rubinson, Chairman
Raul F. Garcia-Casariego, Director of Industrial Hygiene
Carrie Sommer, Director of Operations
Ariel I. Pereda, Director of Business Development

Mitchell Rubinson, Chairman
A long-time entrepreneur, Mitchell Rubinson has founded many companies in diverse fields. One of his most notable ventures was Cache, Inc., which he co-founded in 1975, and developed into a nationwide retailer of high-fashion women’s clothing. In addition to Cache, Rubinson has been involved as an owner, investor, and consultant with a number of private and public companies, including Noise Cancellation Technology, Capital Brands and International Fast Food Corporation. He was also the largest shareholder of Atlantic Federal Savings and Loan, now known as BankAtlantic. He founded Armor Inspection Services Corporation in 2002. Return to top.

LEON LOBBAN, Certified Industrial Hygienist
Leon Lobban, C.I.H., brings 33 years of diverse environmental experience to his role as Certified Industrial Hygienist for Armor Inspection Services Corporation. An international expert in air quality, asbestos, lead and other health and safety issues, Lobban has investigated commercial and residential properties to determine the presence and extent of mold infestation.
"Determining the extent of a mold infestation is the first step to remedying the situation," says Lobban, who has also conducted post-abatement evaluations and inspections to ensure that the remediation steps were effective.
Lobban is a member of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, American Industrial Hygiene Association, American Academy of Industrial Hygiene, and the American Public Health Association. He has published several professional articles on environmental topics like "Gas Chromatographic Methods for Ambient Halocarbon Measurements" in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health.
Lobban earned an associate's degree in chemistry at New York Community College, a bachelor's degree in chemistry at Long Island University and a master's degree in environmental science at Rutgers University.
He began his career in 1969 as a chemist with Chas Pfizer & Company, Brooklyn. In the 1970s, he investigated air pollution episodes from manufacturing processes for American Cyanamid Co., Boundbrook, N.J. He also recommended effective techniques to reduce air emissions and evaluated abatement equipment. He then became an industrial hygienist and environmental engineer in charge of plant-wide occupational safety and health programs, supervising engineers, industrial hygienists and technicians.
In 1976, Lobban joined E.I. Dupont DeNomours & Company, Inc., Wilmington, Delaware, where he evaluated and recommended air pollution control abatement equipment. He also assisted Dupont's manufacturing facilities nationwide in attaining compliance with OSHA's health and safety and EPA's air quality regulations, and served as liaison between the manufacturing facilities and state regulatory agencies.
As a consulting industrial hygiene engineer to Dupont's worldwide
facilities, Lobban conducted air quality investigations, including ventilation and distribution studies to determine the adequacy of air turnover rates as a function of indoor activities. He developed and presented training courses worldwide, and evaluated Dupont's industrial hygiene programs to assure compliance with corporate health and safety programs and OSHA regulations.
For DuPont Do Brasil, Brazil, South America, Lobban established and
evaluated respiratory protection programs and supervised respiratory fit testing. He also developed and presented training programs and lectures in the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Canada. Working for DuPont in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he conducted ventilation biological and chemical studies during an investigation of sick building syndrome in newly renovated office spaces. In the 1980s Lobban was project manager for multimillion dollar asbestos abatement projects nationwide. He also supervised a staff of industrial hygienists providing consulting services nationwide.
Lobban joined Precision Environmental Management, Inc. in 1989 and directed asbestos removal programs at Florida Memorial College, Miami; USDA Forest Service, Asheville, NC.; the Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee, Florida; and Alps Elementary School, Athens, Georgia. In the area of air pollution abatement, he monitored emissions at several manufacturing plants.
As a consultant to EMCON Southeast in Atlanta, he defined and performed indoor air quality studies in laboratories, office complexes, hospitals and manufacturing facilities. For Miller & Miller Associates, he conducted environmental and industrial hygiene studies at seven power generating facilities throughout Belize, Central America.
Lobban recently managed a 20-person project to assist the City of Atlanta in complying with the federally promulgated Safe Water Drinking Act. He prepared and reviewed reports, and ensured that reporting procedures and the city's response to customer complaints were in accordance with the consent decree.

Raul F. Garcia-Casariego, Industrial Hygiene
One of South Florida’s most highly respected environmental health professionals, Raul F. Garcia-Casariego is Armor’s director of industrial hygiene. His professional credentials include Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Examiners (DABFE), and Fellow, American College of Forensic Examiners (FACFE). Garcia-Casariego has been a consultant to the U.S. government, private industry, attorneys, insurance companies and private individuals. He has been affiliated with the University of Miami’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety since 1979, where he developed numerous programs designed to reduce, control or eliminate workers’ exposure to unhealthy or unsafe conditions. He has conducted numerous building IAQ studies, including “sick building” syndrome complaints and building-related illnesses.

A native of Cuba, Garcia-Casariego earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami in 1986. He has studied with noted experts on mold and fungi, including Harvard Professor Harriet Burge and Dr. Chin Yang. He has lectured extensively on the subject of occupational health and safety. A member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s Biosafety Committee, Garcia-Casariego took park in the first Asian Indoor Air Quality Conference in Beijing, China. He is a member of Miami-Dade’s Environmental Task Force on Indoor Air Quality. He has published a number of manuscripts and technical papers on subjects like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), photo-ionization detectors, and industrial hygiene and safety computer applications. He received the President’s Award from the American Society of Safety Engineers in 1994. Return to top.

JOEL WEINGAST, Certified Industrail Hygienist
Joel Weingast, C.I.H., Certified Industrial Hygienist for Armor Inspection Services Corporation, has extensive experience in both the corporate and consulting sectors. Weingast has developed and implemented programs in indoor air quality, environmental risk management, insurance and loss control.
"With mold-related liability cases on the rise, timely indoor air quality assessments are an important aspect of a property owner's risk management program," he says. "No owner can afford to jeopardize the health and well-being of their employees, tenants or residents."
Weingast has helped establish construction quality standards for contractors, and building management requirements for facility owners and operators. Well-versed in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) statutes and regulations, Weingast has provided loss control mold exposure assessment training, claims response, and litigation technical support.
Weingast was formerly president of Industrial Hygiene Solutions LLC, a Lafayette, N.J., consulting company providing industrial hygiene, safety, and indoor air quality services to a wide variety of commercial clients. His background extends to asbestos, ventilation, lead paint, and other types of environmental assessments.
Prior to operating his own firm, Weingast was director-corporate loss for the Control and Environmental Health division of CNA Insurance Companies, Chicago. In that role, he developed and managed a nationwide industrial hygiene program that included a workforce of 170 risk assessment and loss control representatives.
Weingast is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and member and past chair of the American Insurance Services Group Committee on Occupational and Environmental Science. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at City University of New York and a master's degree in environmental management at Illinois Institute of Technology. He also completed studies in microbial contamination investigation and assessment, and remediation strategies at the MidAtlantic Environmental Hygiene Resource Center.

Carrie Sommer, Director of Operations
Carrie Sommer is responsible for coordinating Armor’s highly professional indoor air quality and mold inspection services. Prior to joining Armor, Sommer was general manager for Administrative Employer Services, Inc., Miami and chief financial officer for The Kidz Club of America, Inc., Hollywood. Before moving to Miami, Sommer spent nine years with Allstate Insurance at its corporate headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois, helping to develop underwriting policies and procedures, setting reserves, and assisting with the establishment of inspection procedures for homes and other structures. Sommer earned her bachelor’s degree in business from Indiana University and her MBA from Cornell University. Return to top.